I applied for and hope to be offered a job up in Bellevue, which as I understand is a suburb of the Greater Seattle / Tacoma Metroplex.

So, Washington board, hit me with some knowledge.

What are the gun laws like? I do know that WA is a No MG state, and that something about no rifles that used to be machine guns allowed in state (meaning no parts-kit AKs or FALs, of which I have at least one of each).
Is there a retarded AWB of any sort (magazine capacity in particular).
Is Washington a CCW state?
Is my Nevada CCW recognized?

And finally, what's the weather like? I can't handle the winters HERE, at the foot of Lake Tahoe. Cold and snow are the most horrible things to ever exist, however the hot, dry summers are a thing of beauty in the majestic Carson Valley. I went to college in Phoenix and found the year-round heat to be quite comfortable. At least, in my estimation, being hot is much, much better than being cold. I'm told from a friend that lives in the area that the climate is fairly mild with little snow, year-round mild temperatures but a whole heck of a lot of humidity. God, humidity. I amost died when I went on vacation to North Carolina.

But I digress. What's up with Washington, yo?

Quoted: Cold and snow are the most horrible things to ever exist, however the hot, dry summers are a thing of beauty in the majestic Carson Valley. I went to college in Phoenix and found the year-round heat to be quite comfortable.

Sounds like you need a summer home on the East Side of the Cascades and a winter home in Arizona.
It RAINS and it's COLD and it's OVERCAST and it even SNOWS here on the West Side of the Cascades.
It's colder and it snows more on the East Side.

But I digress. What's up with Washington, yo?

Umm, after that "yo" I think you need to move to California.

Yo...........I think Tacoma fits that bill............ :D

or any place with a MLK Way.......which soon will be all of KING county ;)

no MG's
but no ban on hicap mags
so SBR's :(
AOW is OK I think
yes CCW(or whatever we call it in WA) WA is a "shall issue" state, so its easy to get a permit

Quoted: But I digress. What's up with Washington, yo? Umm, after that "yo" I think you need to move to California.

you may also have kit built firearms, the only prohibited items here are the parts that pertain to the a selective fire weapons, ie: fire control group parts and other parts that have to do specificaly and only with full auto capability.  clear as mud right? That's washington!

This should answer some of your questions.

rains all the time
Demoncrat libs run the place
all the chicks are fat


stay away..

Quoted: I applied for and hope to be offered a job up in Bellevue, which as I understand is a suburb of the Greater Seattle / Tacoma Metroplex. So, Washington board, hit me with some knowledge. What are the gun laws like? I do know that WA is a No MG state, and that something about no rifles that used to be machine guns allowed in state (meaning no parts-kit AKs or FALs, of which I have at least one of each). Is there a retarded AWB of any sort (magazine capacity in particular). Is Washington a CCW state? Is my Nevada CCW recognized? And finally, what's the weather like? I can't handle the winters HERE, at the foot of Lake Tahoe. Cold and snow are the most horrible things to ever exist, however the hot, dry summers are a thing of beauty in the majestic Carson Valley. I went to college in Phoenix and found the year-round heat to be quite comfortable. At least, in my estimation, being hot is much, much better than being cold. I'm told from a friend that lives in the area that the climate is fairly mild with little snow, year-round mild temperatures but a whole heck of a lot of humidity. God, humidity. I amost died when I went on vacation to North Carolina. But I digress. What's up with Washington, yo?

Are you used to city or country? If the later brace yourself b/c its bumper to bumper, long rush 'hour' and urban sprawl. If you like (or dont mind) that sort of environment youll be OK. Housing is very expensive unless you live VERY far away. So, you have reasonably priced housing and a LONG commute or very expensive housing and short commute. You also must learn to drive no faster than 60 on the hwy...no one here knows their car can go faster than that and doing so will upset them. Lane usage is as you would expect in the UK...slow traffic stays left. There are basically 2 seasons...raining and not raining. There are brief periods between where the weather can be unpredicatable. However, those times are very short. The rainy season (known everywhere else as spring, fall and winter) varys between cold, coolish and of course damp. The not rainy season starts sometime after July 4 and stops sometime during Oct. The not rainy season is very pleasant but certainly NOT hot. My kind of summer heat is what you experienced in NC. Its not like that here. The locals think its hot when the temps go above 80F and complain bitterly about how uncomfortable it is. None of the places Ive lived have AC as its really not needed.

No MGs, SBRs or other fun stuff. If you want that you have to journey to ID ro OR. While there isnt an AWB now the liberals try to get one thru every year. Its my view theyll eventually succeed. CCW is easy to get. See packing.org to determine how permits are honored. If you have a CCW from NV perhaps you could turn that into a nonres permit before you move? No mag size limits. Gun laws are tolerable in general exc for the MG part. WAC (WA Arms Collectors) runs a twice monthly gun show, one in Monroe and the other Puyallup. The later is the better of the two. In my area there are no private ranges worth joining. Wade's is an excellent indoor range...its in Bellevue. There are places toward the mtns  you can pull off the road and shoot. I use the pit in Granite Falls as its a pretty quick drive for me.

I moved here a year ago....so Im still finding my way around and getting used to it.

ETA: Youre allowed to own a sound suppressor here but not use it. Use is prohibited...

I hope you like rain and can do without the sun for long periods of time without becoming suicidal or depressed. It will also help if you have a very healthy immune system with no allergies as the fungus and spore mold the rest of us are used will kick your ass for the first year here...at least, may take you longer. Also be prepared to occasionally just have no summer what so ever, nada, none. Just more clouds and rain. Slow drivers, no fast lane, inability to merge or merge at 30 mph. 40 gazillon coffee stands, state liquor stores (no hard liquor in grocery stores), did I mention rain.

As others have mentioned, the traffic here is not like anything else in any state.  Even at 11:00 p.m. on a dry evening it is next to impossible to travel above 60 mph.  If you want to seriously FUBAR traffic on I-5 during commute time, just pull off onto the shoulder and put your hazards on.  This will cause 25 mph traffic for hours.  No twisted metal, no blood soaked gurney being wheeled into the back of a waiting ambulance.  Washington drivers love any excuse to put both feet on the brake pedal.

The left lane is used for those who are cruise-controlling along at 59.5 mph and wish to pass the motorist doing 59.25 mph in the right lane.

I've heard rumors of this so-called "Sun" but one must travel South of the 41st parallel to actually observe it.

Welcome to Hell.

Trey

Washington is the best state in the union imo.

You have the Pacific oceon and Puget sound, large inland lakes, cascade and Olympic mountains, rain forests, high desert, more rivers than you can imagine, basically every type of geography available.

Weather, well at SeaTac airport they get as little as 36 inches a year, Sequim=11inches as opposed to my AO that gets 156 inches a year, there are micro-climates as small as half mile across where it always rains or is foggy or windy but around the sound there is often holes in the sky and a little sun shines through, because of the convergent zone caused by the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges being separated by Puget sound weather in very unpredictable with the exception of rain, count on it raining and you will be correct most the time.

Light Aircraft doesnt get used much because of the weather and mountains, try and fly under the weather here and you hit a mountain.

Boats are a good idea here, at one time seattle had the highest per capita ownership but think wetsuit not swimsuit, never warm enough to swim here without arctic dry suit, imbo

Lots of hang gliding as there is lots of mountains, the only negative thing is the politics the kommiefornians joined forces with extremist liberal demoncrats in seattle and the one county "King" rules all the others, so bad the rest of the state is trying to break off and form a new one.

Make sure you have sunglasses, when the sun does shine it reflects off of wet roads blinding drivers.

Quoted: Washington is the best state in the union imo. You have the Pacific oceon and Puget sound, large inland lakes, cascade and Olympic mountains, rain forests, high desert, more rivers than you can imagine, basically every type of geography available. Weather, well at SeaTac airport they get as little as 36 inches a year, Sequim=11inches as opposed to my AO that gets 156 inches a year, there are micro-climates as small as half mile across where it always rains or is foggy or windy but around the sound there is often holes in the sky and a little sun shines through, because of the convergent zone caused by the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges being separated by Puget sound weather in very unpredictable with the exception of rain, count on it raining and you will be correct most the time. Light Aircraft doesnt get used much because of the weather and mountains, try and fly under the weather here and you hit a mountain. Boats are a good idea here, at one time seattle had the highest per capita ownership but think wetsuit not swimsuit, never warm enough to swim here without arctic dry suit, imbo Lots of hang gliding as there is lots of mountains, the only negative thing is the politics the kommiefornians joined forces with extremist liberal demoncrats in seattle and the one county "King" rules all the others, so bad the rest of the state is trying to break off and form a new one. Make sure you have sunglasses, when the sun does shine it reflects off of wet roads blinding drivers.

What that guy said

ETA: Hey, we're allowed to agree every once in a while!   MILITIA!

While there isnt an AWB now the liberals try to get one thru every year. Its my view theyll eventually succeed.

I'm actually thinking we've got a chance to keep this one off the books.  We've got several things in our favor:
- nowhere near as many gun control fans as California
- a state constitutional RKBA provision more in your face than the second amendment
- A PART TIME LEGISLATURE WITH BARELY ENOUGH TIME TO GET ANYTHING DONE (thank God)

I do think that we have to take back one house of the legislature ASAP.

Overall, I agree with STRATIOTES in that this is the best state in the US (and I've lived in 3 others).

The orginal poster MAY find the weather here too wet, given that he likes desert climates.  Me, I want more snow...

I'm trying to leave.

Quoted: While there isnt an AWB now the liberals try to get one thru every year. Its my view theyll eventually succeed. I'm actually thinking we've got a chance to keep this one off the books.  We've got several things in our favor: - nowhere near as many gun control fans as California - a state constitutional RKBA provision more in your face than the second amendment - A PART TIME LEGISLATURE WITH BARELY ENOUGH TIME TO GET ANYTHING DONE (thank God) I do think that we have to take back one house of the legislature ASAP. Overall, I agree with STRATIOTES in that this is the best state in the US (and I've lived in 3 others). The orginal poster MAY find the weather here too wet, given that he likes desert climates.  Me, I want more snow...

Yes, I would agree IF the population remained static. However, I *think* over time people from south of here will continue coming in state and eventually become the majority. Assuming they vote then its all over but the crying. Also the current crop of voters arent all that bright either esp given what they voted in during the last election. I wouldnt put ANYTHING past them.

re: the PT legislature -- If theyre goofing around w/ gun control now what will it be like in the future? It seems that theyre reluctant to tackle the gritty problems and instead indulge in fiddling around the edges.

I like snow AND cold too. Theres nothing better than a bright sunny day, temps a bit below 0F, a few ft. of snow on the ground and time to be outdoors enjoying it!!!! Even w/ the cold the sun feels good and warm on your face...its wonderful!!!! I miss those days!

Im not esp into western WA but I very much like the eastern part of the state. Im planning to explore it some this spring and summer. It looks like the hunting would be good over there...is it?

Ive lived in 5 states and liked NH the best. The population was small and mostly very conservative, very few gun laws, no good welfare system, VERY low taxes, lots of open land, winter sports, ocean, close drive to the other 5 other new england states... I miss it a bunch.

So, It seems that I'm getting mixed messages and wildly varying opinions. It's sort of like in the NV boards where us proper, civilized folk try to sway new moves away from Clark county and up here to the North whereas the fork-and-spoon operators Down South are always painting us as depraved hillbillies who time to time endulge in necrophilic cannibaroticsistics.

I swear, there was just that one time and now all of us just can't live it down. At least we aren't home to Siegfreid and Roy. Ha! Take that, Las Vegas!

But I digress. I hear that Queensryche is from Bellevue. Wicked sweet!
I also hear that the place is full of mopey-eyed college girls that think they're on an intellectual trip. Double sweet!

Here's hopin' I get the ding-dang job!

Yes, I would agree IF the population remained static. However, I *think* over time people from south of here will continue coming in state and eventually become the majority. Assuming they vote then its all over but the crying. Also the current crop of voters arent all that bright either esp given what they voted in during the last election. I wouldnt put ANYTHING past them.

On the other hand, I wonder how many people who flee California do so because they LOVE the way that state works?  And how many are pissed off gun owners?  I came here from California (though with a 3 year detour to Iowa) and I love AR15s and CPL guns.

Quoted: On the other hand, I wonder how many people who flee California do so because they LOVE the way that state works?  And how many are pissed off gun owners?  I came here from California (though with a 3 year detour to Iowa) and I love AR15s and CPL guns.

Right...I suspect those leaving are tired of the CA balney but that doesnt necessarily mean theyre gun friendly. When I lived in NH there was a similar situation w/ people from MA moving north. They wanted to escape to a free state but when they got here the whining about not having this or that govt service was deafening. Bascially they came to crap all over our lawn. They werent that keen on merging into town life and were more interested in changing it to something that looked like MA. So, slowly NH is becoming just like MA.

So, slowly NH is becoming just like MA.

That's a shame.  Rest assured that this ex-NY, ex-CA guy's idea of sensible gun control is overturning the NFA 1934 and giving tax breaks for every non-criminal home that owns AR-15s and carry guns.

Quoted:  If you want to seriously FUBAR traffic on I-5 during commute time, just pull off onto the shoulder and put your hazards on.  This will cause 25 mph traffic for hours.  No twisted metal, no blood soaked gurney being wheeled into the back of a waiting ambulance.  Washington drivers love any excuse to put both feet on the brake pedal.

While I think you're exagerating somewhat on the 11 o'clock thing, the part I pasted above is accurate.  I was driving SB on I-5 and from 185th (Shoreline) to 60th (Seattle) traffic was brake lights and 35 mph.  When I got to 60th it opened up and there was no problem.  

The cause?????  A coat in the roadway.  A friggin coat has slowed traffic by 30 mph.  At least it was actually on the same side of the freeway as the slowdown this time.

Quoted: Right...(snip) werent that keen on merging into town life and were more interested in changing it to something that looked like MA. So, slowly NH is becoming just like MA.

I think we can stop that (w/out refusing the refugees). That's not an easy thing to say because I've lived in that town of "mopey eyed college girls" (Geez get up here and point em out to me ; ) for my 20 years since high school. And I can tell you back then, it was _conservative_. Back when I was young and foolish all the neighbors chuckled when I asked about democrats. And Bellevue has seen what you're describing in the live free or die state: Seattleites who can no longer afford the housing (because they can never say no to a new tax or regulation) have swarmed the bridges and now half the houses on the block I grew up on, have signs for big government candidates during election season.

But that just tells ya which folks you can offer a ride to the polls. I don't think they're making statist Californians fast enough to drive me out of Bellevue and the bad ones that move up... well hey they can always move again ; ) as for DonBCivil, I talked with him down at the SB5343 hearing so he's a fine example of why we -should- be a refuge to people who can't or won't face the battle in CA anymore : )